A Prince, A Wizard, and a Girl
by MohawkFetish
Summary: Prince Justin giving up on Sophie? Not a chance! But maybe this time around Sophie doesnt want Howl. But what if Howl desperately wants her? HxS JxS
1. A Wizard, a Prince, and a Girl

A Prince, A Wizard, and a Girl

**A Prince, A Wizard, and a Girl**

**Chapter One**

Wind blew in the air gently, tenderly caressing Sophie's face as she stood in the flowery fields, the pleasant aroma filling her nostrils. Everything was so peaceful, and yet Sophie couldn't deny her gut feeling of apprehension—it puzzled her greatly. It had been so long (or so it felt like) since the war and the pandemonium, and still the persistent nagging of undeniable concern loomed over her, even with Howl.

Not too far from her the castle stood, steam drifting idly from its torrent, and Markl not too far beyond it with Heen. A more blatant nuisance gripped her aching stomach, grumbling in defiance at its utter lack of nourishment. "Well, Sophie, you have to go get food sometime," she sighed to herself, calling for Markl and Heen to follow her inside the castle.

Inside, as the trio entered, was Howl beside the workbench, hunched over a spell he'd been tweaking since morning for a man in Market Chipping. "Hello, Howl," Sophie greeted him softly as she stepped inside. The wizard spun around with a whirl and a wide grin at the sound of the woman's voice, "Hello, Sophie! Where are you going?"

She'd only returned to the castle to obtain her jacket, sliding it on over her shoulders before she turned the knob beside the door and answered, "To Market Chipping—we need groceries." As the door opened a ruckus of people bustling along the streets filled the living space before Sophie gracefully slipped out and shut the door behind her—she'd hardly heard Howl's bellowed "goodbye" and heard even less of his wistful sigh as the door creaked shut.

In the crammed streets, Sophie followed the pathway of a lesser traveled alley, remembering all the while how she first met Howl with a smile about her face. A sigh of reluctance overcame her as she fought her way through the busy streets to the bakery, greeting her sister Lettie with the warmest of smiles and calling out to her, "Two rolls of bread and a box of muffins, please!" Honestly, Market Chipping was far too small altogether for the amount of people that liked to squeeze into it.

A little nod and Lettie had disappeared towards the back (groans of disappointment could be heard throughout the bakery), only to reappear seconds later with a box and two rolls in hand. After her pay, Sophie struggled to free herself from the crowd that had managed to pack themselves in—all of Lettie's possible suitors. "She is very pretty, I can't blame them," Sophie commented to herself as she joined in with the common bustle of the streets.

"Why, if it isn't Sophie Hatter!" At once Sophie spun towards the voice that had called her name, not at all expecting to find none other than Prince Justin with his top hat tipped towards her and a grin plastered over his handsome face, "What brings you to these streets?" Obviously, Sophie was yearning to ask the same thing as she analyzed him for a moment—for the most part he seemed to be the same, his suit was blue now and his blonde hair framed his face but he was still recognizably Prince Justin.

Now, there wasn't any shame in sharing her reasons for being in Market Chipping at all, but the none-too-pleasant but unfortunately familiar unease crept into her stomach as she spoke, "I'm here buying groceries for Howl, Markl and I." Her gut senses had been correct, for this was the wrong thing to say to a man that had, after all, been destined to be her true love. The prince fairly displayed this by a frown of disappointment. Although, Sophie didn't feel half as bad as she spotted the red flowers and the bakery's white box tucked beneath his arm, he'd apparently done alright in finding a suitable replacement for his lost love.

"What are those for?" Sophie was desperate to take his mind off her and Howl's still living together.

Sophie's idea seemed to work as Justin smiled and answered, "Oh the box is for my mom, she's sick and I wanted to buy her something. The roses, I bought them for a friend of mine, he was too busy preparing for his date tonight that he couldn't buy them! I can't believe it, really, but I wanted to do him a favor. They really are pretty this time of year, flowers are."

Being polite, Sophie nodded in agreement, bidding him farewell, which he quickly returned. However, not even seconds later he'd reached for her arm and asked a question that Sophie wholly accepted with an eager grin.

"You're going _where_ tonight?" Howl questioned, trying his best to sound not at all accusing, despite how offended he truly was, "But-But-But!"

"Oh shush, Howl! It's only because I feel sorry for him, after all, he was supposed to be my true love. How could I just be so rude as to turn him down? It won't go too far, I promise!" Sophie assured the wizard as she tried on an assortment of hats that Howl himself had bought for her, settling on the soft yellow one. From downstairs a knock on the door carried itself throughout the house and she smiled, but turned to Howl sternly and firmly told him, "Don't come after us, nothing is going to happen!" Howl frowned at this but had no choice in letting her out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the front door.

There was the muffled sound of the door closing and Howl heaved a profound sigh, trudging towards the bathroom, watching the bathtub basin fill with warm water. Markl knew the routine well by now, an empathetic expression written over his face. Whenever Howl was upset, he'd retreat into the bathroom, followed by the world's longest siesta in his bedroom.

It was nearly two hours before Howl plodded from the bathroom, collapsing into the arm chair in front of Calcifer, "Glad you're back, did you see Sophie anywhere in Market Chipping?" His voice was absolutely dripping with gloom, his melancholy only worsened as Calcifer shook his head, nervous as ever as Howl's worried expression was cast back towards him and then the front door, as if Sophie's actions were reflected within the grain of the wood. Howl took her disappearance from the streets as a negative sort. Little did he know, Sophie was tucked up safely in a restaurant, dining with the Prince himself, and it would've pained him even further to know that they even had _dessert plans_.

"Oh she's going to fall in love with him!" wailed Howl. Indeed he was thoroughly depressed and Markl could only hope that he wouldn't spew green again—that had been a mess twice before and that was two too many. "She's going to leave me, Calcifer!"

The fire demon rolled his eyes, countering with a confident, "Oh, stop acting like a child, Howl! I know Sophie better than that!" It was true, and she had even promised—Sophie had never been the type to go back on a promise. "It was out of pity, that's all. Besides, I couldn't blame her, you haven't done much in the way of driving this relationship forward. Maybe this is a way to bring out your courage, coward." It was times like these that Calcifer thoroughly enjoyed being free from Howl, as he could insult him all he wanted without a single reprimand or threat.

However, to Calcifer's disappointment, Howl hardly seemed to notice, only running his hands through his blonde hair. Markl watched but soon after told them he was going off to pick some flowers with Heen for Lettie. Calcifer gave a flicker of a nod, but Howl only glanced at him through the corner of his eye as he vanished out the door.

Only a few minutes had passed before the door opened and Howl nearly burst from out of his chair as Sophie walked inside, hanging her jacket on a hook adjacent to the door. To Howl's intense dismay, she was smiling rather widely for a girl who was supposedly going out with a man just to be kind hearted.

"Why are you smiling like that? Seems like you had a wonderful time," Howl commented, sounding not at all as angry as he wished he could have.

"Just listen to yourself, you vain, arrogant, and envious man! It wasn't anything serious!" Sophie hastily defended, looming over him like a giant as he tried to stand, getting a staggering start out of the chair to take his place beside Calcifer. The fire demon peered from around him and grinned.

"So you're finished with him?" At least his voice was returning to normalcy.

"What if I'm not?" Sophie demanded of him, back towards him, "Howl you haven't changed a single bit since you got that blackened heart of yours back! Mind you, I was the one that gave it to you!" Within a second, Sophie Hatter had slammed the door shut on his face and stepped back out into the flowery field as sun began to set. "That man! I hate him!"

* * *

**Remember this? I sort of re-vamped it. Yes, pretty much two years later and I'm trying my hand at it again! I've been re-reading the book; I gained a tad of inspiration. So this based off the book and the movie, a mixture of both for those of you just tuning in!**

**Please review! I need the feedback, especially now! And you know the whole "I don't own it" spiel. **


	2. The City of Market Chipping

**A Prince, a Wizard, and a Girl**

**Chapter Two: The City of Market Chipping**

It wasn't too long after Howl had retreated to his bedroom that he heard, through both his bed sheets and (quite obviously) the floorboards that the front door had swung open again. Of course his first notion was that Markl and Heen had returned, when in reality it was the entire missing trio of Markl, Heen, and Sophie. At once Sophie bounded to her room, gathering her things and throwing her jacket about her shoulders and departed from the castle once again.

"Do you think she'll come back, Calcifer?" Markl inquired as he took a seat before the fire demon's hearth and let Heen jump into his lap. "I don't want Sophie to leave."

"Oh, she's only mad at that idiot, Howl." Calcifer couldn't help but crack a grin at his own insult and gazed over at the still very much worried boy, flowers in one hand. "Better put those in a vase before they wilt." Markl at once jumped up, almost catapulting Heen into Calcifer's fiery mouth in his rush to get to the sink, acquiring a small blue vase to fill with icy water. He set the vase and flowers within it on the counter as the demon spoke again, "Sophie should be coming home anytime now, probably tomorrow though."

On the contrary, Calcifer couldn't be more wrong! Sophie at once decided, upon stepping onto the stone of the streets, that she would room with Prince Justin at the inn he was resting at for the time being—she had had enough of that Wizard Howl!

Her search hadn't taken long at all (all the inns were in a common square of sorts) and she came across the Ingary Grand Inn without a problem at all. And indeed it was rather grand as she stepped inside and it did look fit for a prince. After a short visit with the front desk clerk, she was traveling up three flights of stairs (thanking the heavens ceaselessly for returning her youth—as hale of an old woman as she was, this was a hard trek to manage) and to his appointed room. Within just one knock upon the door Justin was beaming at her as he hurried her inside.

"Hello, Justin. Well, I don't mean to intrude upon you, but may I stay with you for the time being?"

"What about Howl?" Justin couldn't help but ask as he shut the door. The room was every bit as fancy and elegant as the lobby, possibly doubly so—it was painted a cream color and the sizeable bed was no smaller than a King size with red throw pillows and a luxurious silken curtain draped from the ceiling to surround the gargantuan bed. The sitting area was supplied with two overstuffed, red leather chairs and a table, all set by the window adorned with the same silk curtains as the bed's. A beautiful armoire was pushed against the wall exactly opposite the bed. "Won't he be upset?"

"Oh that man is always upset!" Sophie grunted and complained as she sat on the chair, "So, is it alright?"

"Of course, I don't mind. Although, I do have errands to do while I'm here, so if you don't mind, I'll be gone now and then until we can go back to my palace with father?" Justin smiled at her.

The following morning, Howl all too eagerly ran down the stairs to solicit from the air, "Is she back?" The castle's still silence had answered his question, as Sophie was always up at this hour. Howl hadn't even changed from his pajamas, or dyed his hair from its raven state to its blonde—it had a habit of changing mid-sleep.

His heart sank as he trudged into the bathroom, slipping into a warm bath, forgetting entirely to dye his hair, and changed into his suit. "Why can't she come back? I could change!" Howl's distressed face in the mirror looked aggrieved from a fitful night's sleep. All of his dreams consisted of Sophie running off with Prince Justin, and he was here, with nobody—Markl had left to marry off with Lettie and they'd taken Heen, and Calcifer declared his utter hatred for the wizard and vanished as well.

"It's a shame I couldn't give this to her sooner." The wizard Howl procured from his pocket a small box, ignoring the knock on the front door, and opened the black velvet container to reveal a beautiful and entirely too expensive engagement ring.

Yet the persistent knock never ceased, only growing louder in volume and urgency and Howl was forced to stow away the ring in the box, hiding it safely in his suit pocket. It was obvious that Markl wasn't home (probably out with Lettie—always at the bakery now). So when the man opened the door he saw a rather attractive young woman smiling at him, "My father wanted that spell?"

The spell! How he had forgotten! He could think clearly back now to the still fragmentary spell sitting on his workbench. "I'm sorry, he'll have to get it tomorrow, it's quite tiresome to complete." Clearly Howl was annoyed as he closed the door, but the tap on the door kept on as he soon as it was shut. There was no choice left in the matter, he was forced to open it again and call out, "I can't give it to you now, go away."

"But Wizard Howl, my father needs that spell!" The girl pleaded, she evidently had training in this because for a moment, it almost tricked him. "Please?"

"I can't, come back this evening," Howl compromised, thinking that perhaps working on this spell would help keep is mind off Sophie Hatter and the ring tucked safely and snuggly in his pocket. "It'll be ready by then." The girl, pleased with the bargain, smiled and nodded, running off into Market Chipping. If it were any other day, Howl might've thought of chasing after her, but today was not the day, and it never would be—never again.

Disgruntled, he set off to work on the spell in the still silence of his house (he couldn't bear to call it a home anymore without Sophie).

All day he'd been kept to himself, Calcifer didn't even visit for lunch as he always did. At three 'o' clock it became particularly lonely and he began to wonder, could Markl _still_ be with Lettie? Was it her day off, or was he off spending all his money on things to buy in order to spend time with her?

Meanwhile, in the lavish inn room, Sophie sat on the bed, expectantly staring at the ceiling. Prince Justin had said he'd be gone a short while, yet she had been waiting all day for someone to return—a someone that never did come back. The crowds seemed to be calling for her to step outside, and now more than ever she longed for some fresh air. What would a few minutes do anyhow?

A breath of fresh air was truly what she needed, as Sophie could feel her lungs breathe a sigh of relief at the refreshing atmosphere. It was a truly fine day, all in all, and she fancied a walk through town. "Just a little ways away from the hat shop, I think," she decided to herself as she started off down the hectic street.

Many women were carrying lacy umbrellas and holding men's hands as they strolled about, or in a carriage, still clutching the men's hands and their umbrellas. This was something Sophie pondered on, as there was nothing principally special about Market Chipping. Of course, if this were Kingsbury, it'd be an entirely different matter. But here, nothing was so fancy as carriages and umbrellas and incredibly wealthy men.

* * *

In the meantime, somewhere far off in Market Chipping, Markl was busying himself by pacing the town's streets, entirely dedicated to his cause. Lettie Hatter was somewhere far off in the bakery, the location in which he paid special care to pass each time he walked to and fro through the pathway. He'd already given her the flowers, and now all that remained was to intolerantly await her lunch break—a lunch break that, indeed, never actually arrived.

It'd felt like forever and a day that he had strolled about in the cool breeze, harboring high hopes to come across Lettie as she exited the bakery, incessantly eyeing the back door—a door which nobody exited through.

Was his Lettie trying to avoid him? Should he have taken this as a sign? Heen only coughed beside him as the questions were poured onto him by the young, worrying lad. Had Heen had any sense, he would've feared that Markl himself was next on the list of green slime disaster victims.

With a sigh of utter discontent, he collapsed onto the bench directly athwart the bakery, the aroma of freshly baked goods wafting up into his nostrils with every inhale. His stomach replied with protest at the scent, completely dissatisfied with its lack of feeding.

A brilliant idea struck Markl headlong as this precise moment. Go into the shop and order him something to eat! All the while he could keep an eye on his Lettie, assuring himself that she was not prancing about with another suitor—it's what worried him the most, really, especially after all this business with Howl and Sophie.

So he did just that.

As with any other day, men were crowding the area around the counter (and in fact the entire bakery) in a massive uproar of shouts and proposals towards the pretty blonde serving them. At this Markl always scowled. With a little effort (and _perhaps_ a dash of magic), Markl had thrashed about to the counter, ordering his disgruntled stomach a muffin. "Thank you, Lettie," Markl beamed as he passed her the money, their hands meeting for the briefest moment before, in an instant, he was elbowed to the side by a particularly wizened gentleman. Markl scowled even further at this.

Naturally, Markl's wits lingered on the elderly man chasing after _his_ Lettie, but the thought was as soonly swept away as it had come with the sight of Sophie gliding past him—it didn't take more than a second to bound after her. "Sophie! Sophie, it's me!" Markl called, stooping over to catch his breath as he caught up to her, face towards his feet. "Where have you been? I miss you and Howl-"

"Oh don't even mention that man to me!" Sophie spat in revulsion, "I'm staying with Prince Justin, that's that. Unless Howl learns to be more selfless! I doubt he ever will understand that." She turned up her nose, wrinkled every so slightly, at the very thought. "But I do miss you, Markl."

With her statement came both a smile and a frown upon Markl's face—so he settled on no expression at all. "But Howl's so depressed! It feels like he's about to ooze green slime again!" He told her, filled with overbearing despair. On these occasions of green slime, Markl had always felt more disheartened to know how much emotional pain Howl was inflicted with. "Please, Sophie, come back."

No amount of pleading was going to stop her from running off with Prince Justin, and Markl began to realize this as his eyes drooped and he took a dismal bite out of his blueberry muffin, its taste that he usually savored—every bit of it as sweet as his dear Lettie—grew flavorless in his mouth. "Please be careful, Sophie." With this, he faded away into the crowd.

"Poor boy," Sophie thought to herself, turning sharply down the street and into another back alleyway. This time, as her thoughts ventured back to Howl, her face grew long and enraged, and she chose to think of Justin instead.

What if she married him? Indeed, he was a decent and handsome man. She was almost certain that the girls from his hometown swooned over him, with all his wealth and good looks; it was hard to blame them at all. Everyone would regard her as the luckiest girl in all of Ingary, and everything seemed to fit into place. Yet she refused to include Howl in this "happily ever after" story, all he'd have for his fortune was Calcifer and an empty house. After all, Markl had Lettie and Heen for company.

"You'll be as rich as the women in Kingsbury!" Sophie exclaimed as she leisurely made her way back into the mobbed roads, towards the Ingary Grand Inn. Justin had earlier retrieved her key, so there was no need in calling the empty room to attention, she was sure that he hadn't returned yet.

But after her trek up the flight of stairs and into the room, she found a contradiction to her prior thoughts—there, asleep on the bed and still fully dressed in his suit and top hat, was Prince Justin.

"How cute." Sophie settled by the window, smiling gently towards the prince before her eyes transposed to the window and the hundreds of bustling people below it.

* * *

For a brief moment, as the door opened, Howl had thought it was Sophie. All hopes were crushed when only Markl and Heen came into plain view, Markl still gnawing on the muffin as he made his sullen entrance. "When I was outside the bakery I saw Sophie."

Splendid news! Howl was in for a treat; perhaps she was to surprise him! "She made it clear that she doesn't want to come back." The boy was careful to avoid eye contact with the wizard as he made to sit by the fireplace. All in one day things had gone terribly wrong and here Howl stood, sighing pitifully as he leaned into the workbench, observing the complete spell, wrapped snuggly for the girl.

"Well I'll show her!" Howl announced and hurried into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. At once he had disappeared into a cloud of vapor and cologne.

Markl had only a terrible premonition of what was to come.

* * *

**The second chapter in this lovely fic! Hope you're all enjoying it thus far and remember to review! I thank **_**everybody**_** dearly who reviewed to the first chapter, it was all so much appreciated!**


	3. Jealousy Means Leaving

**A Prince, a Wizard, and a Girl**

**Chapter Three: Jealousy Means Leaving**

It was a little while until the magnificent Wizard Howl emerged from the bathroom, wearing everything that was possibly attractive as it could be on him, his cologne alone lured in the ladies. "Markl I'll be a while," Howl stated deliberately, sauntering out into Market Chipping with a purpose to his step.

It took time to track down the pretty blonde he was searching for, but it was all he could do. It was his only window of opportunity to make Sophie envious! Hastily he approached the girl, smiling the most charming smile he could perhaps ever muster and offer, "I couldn't help but notice you were alone tonight, care for dinner?"

"Alright," with some difficulty the words slipped from between the girl's lips as a rosy blush colored her fair cheeks. The tint to her cheeks only blossomed further with color as Howl took her by the arm and walked her most elegantly down the street. Naturally, the girl felt the need to rub it into every jealous woman's face by smiling and waving at them as she passed by. Poor thing hardly knew what everyone else did, however—Howl had his eye on Sophie Hatter alone, and this charade could hardly fool the most foolish of men.

Even with this beautiful creature attached to his forearm, Howl's mindset was on Sophie—how upset he was with her, how sad he was without her, and how desperate he was to have her back. The wizard made sure to pass by the Ingary Grand Inn in a slow stride, allowing his eyes to look over all the windows slyly before turning to the girl latched around his arm and laugh and talk with her, making her smile widely. "We're almost there," Howl assured her, "By the way, I don't think I ever heard your name."

"My name is Linda, but, Mr. Howl, where are we going, exactly? This is the most expensive side of Market Chipping!" Linda pleaded as she started to slow Howl down into her slow paced saunter that could only be the result of her rather pleasant dress.

"You're right. But, my dear, you're in for a treat tonight!" How exclaimed, beaming as they stopped at a breath-taking restaurant—its beautiful architecture far surpassing anything that surrounded it, anything in Market Chipping even. "For today, I'm going to spoil you, Linda!" He gestured for the two to be seated and pulled out the chair for Linda to sit gracefully in, taking a seat across from her.

Still in awe, Linda could hardly speak, but she managed to utter, "You don't have to do this, sir." But of course he didn't have to, his heart didn't even particularly _want_ to. But just as he had hoped, Howl had noticed Sophie and the Prince seated just tables away and they instantly noticed him—him and the pretty young lady.

It was more than clear that Sophie wasn't at all happy by the cold and threatening expression she cast towards him, which almost made Howl send Linda away immediately. Though his plan was indeed working, a nasty feeling writhed in the pit of his stomach—it told him this wasn't aiding his situation whatsoever. "She'll go back to his land with her!" Howl shrieked under his breath.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Linda responded, eyebrow furrowed over her sparkling blue eyes as she folded her napkin politely to rest upon her lap and replacing the silverware onto the pristine white tablecloth.

"Oh, nothing—excuse me for a moment, would you?" Howl begged almost nervously as he stood from his seat and moved to the public restrooms, utterly at a loss for words. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he broke down into a nervous panic, "What if she really _does_ leave? What if she really does like that prince? Oh, what am I going to do to prevent this all from happening?" Howl couldn't run away from his problems any longer, and he couldn't afford to continue lying.

Minutes later, mind made up, he returned to the table and politely regarded Linda while he said, "This was a huge mistake—inviting you, I mean—and I'm sorry to say I won't be joining you for dinner." Howl paid the waiter and once more glanced at Sophie, very much looking self satisfied before she smiled towards Justin once more. "If she wants to be with Prince Justin, she can live in false happiness!" Howl nearly stormed from the posh building and back into the bustling walkways that were a constant for Market Chipping, especially during dinnertime.

To forestall his reappearance home, Howl took the long, maze-like alleyways back to his castle. He hoped, for some desperate reason, that Calcifer was there to keep him company, as Markl was hardly every home these days—constantly busy doing this or that, he rarely paid any attention to Howl at all.

Everything suddenly felt so depressing.

* * *

"What was he in such a hurry about?"

"That coward is hurried about running away from everything." Sophie said scornfully, looking over her shoulder at the lonesome Linda, "But, that poor girl must feel so upset right now." Indeed she did look to the near point of tears and both the prince and Sophie took great pity on her and invited her to their table. "Don't worry about that nasty Howl."

Linda indeed did forget all about Howl.

* * *

The cloudy skies outside only enhanced Howl's demoralized spirit, to the point of driving him to collapse into the arm chair before the hearth without taking any notice of the fact that he was crushing both Markl and Heen beneath him. At once he sprang to his feet after hearing Heen's pleading whines.

"I'm guessing dinner didn't go too well?" Markl inquired as he set Heen on the opposite chair and stood beside his mentor.

"I'd prefer not to discuss it, Markl. Is Calcifer home?" He didn't bother to detect the flickering fire in the hearth staring at them, half asleep. "I really need a warm bath."

"Calcifer?" Markl prodded the fire with a stick and the demon flickered, yawning and opening its eyes further, lazily. "Howl needs some hot water for his bath. Do you mind?"

"Whatever happened to be normal and heating the bathtub like most people do?" Calcifer groaned, but Howl could already spy the steam from the bathroom and he moved towards it, looking dreadful and depressed as ever, a hand in his coat pocket fiddling with the box. "Oh, the plan backfired?"

"I'm guessing so," Markl nodded before glancing up at the hot vapor clouds arising from the crack beneath the door and overcast skies outside. "Lettie might want some company. I think I'll go visit her, maybe Howl will forget about Sophie when I bring him some bread?"

"Doubt it, but go ahead—he usually feeds me the crusts." Calcifer grinned in the slightest, happily burning the log Markl had just placed into his flaming mouth. However, Howl's heartbreaking songs from the bathroom did little to improve the mood of the castle. "Poor Howl, if only Sophie could see him now, he's a total wreck without her!"

* * *

In the Ingary Grand Inn, Sophie was seated on the bed, watching Justin stand beside the window to read a paper and biting a fingernail impatiently. "When are we going back to your home?" Sophie casually asked, appearing at his side, staring once more at the people below them. Somewhere far off she could picture the small home wherein Howl was no doubt ranting over how stupid and obnoxious she was, and dating three women at the same time.

How wrong could she have been?

"We're leaving soon, Sophie. Tomorrow, I think." Justin answered her, turning around to stare into her eyes and hugged her, "You'll love the palace, I know it."

* * *

Howl spent a good long while peering out the bathroom window, sighing and every now and again staring at his coat and, although unseen, the box he knew to be nestled in his pocket between crushed rose petals. He kept the petals to remember her—all the time they had visited the flower fields together—but it was all a far off memory now, or so it seemed.

"Maybe she is happy with Prince Justin? I can't stop it, anyways. She's going to leave soon." Howl murmured to himself and shrugged on his coat and descended the stairs to eat a piece of the bread Markl had picked up from the bakery specifically for him. "Markl always does the right thing." A weak smile spread over his features

* * *

**Yes, it's the third chapter! A particularly sad one, I think. I know it put overcast skies over my head (although here in the desert, that's not necessarily a bad thing). Anyways, I hope you're enjoying it so far and I love everyone's replies and I hope for a great deal more sooner or later! Thanks very, very much! **


	4. The Proposal

**A Prince, a Wizard, and a Girl**

**Chapter Four: The Proposal**

Sunlight drifted in through the opened window that morning, draping Sophie in a soft, yellow light. After arousing from her slumber, she padded along to the bathroom to discover Prince Justin already there, combing his hair and donning his jacket, asking as he did so, "Are you ready to see your palace, Sophie?"

It was the first time Sophie was excited to leave Howl. Everything about him had been driving her crazy and she had begun to realize this and she also began to realize how attractive Prince Justin was becoming. "I'm ready as soon as I can take a bath and get fully prepared. I want to be perfect for our first day there together." The word "together" sounded right on her tongue when she thought about the prince—with Howl it sounded like a death wish.

As Sophie bathed and readied herself, Justin sat on the hotel bed, observing the people below passing the inn and the extravagant shops adjacent to it—people of all classes loved to window shop. "She'll be my princess, my queen," he thought to himself, smiling.

Meanwhile, Howl was perched in a chair before a Calcifer-less fire, sipping manually warmed tea—he was far too depressed to even use his own magic anymore. Markl had to serve everyone who came to solicit a spell from the great Wizard Howl. "Howl, she'll come back! You know she will, after all, you have that ring for her!" Markl pleaded, "Just propose the next time she comes, but she has to be alone, alright?"

Howl took his advice half-heartedly, only nodding and setting down his teacup to answer the door. He frowned as soon as he saw Sophie accompanied by none other than Prince Justin at his doorstep. "Oh, hello, may I ask as to the occasion?" Howl inquired, looking from Justin—with the cruelest of glares—to Sophie with the softest smile. Inside his pocket his hand fiddled with the ring box as Howl focused on Sophie, "Came to say goodbye, perhaps?"

"I didn't feel right leaving without a proper goodbye, Howl," Justin explained as he stepped inside, uninvited, with Sophie's hand intertwined with his. Markl took notice at once of Howl staring at their interlocked fingers and hurried to step between his teacher and the couple, smiling.

"Sophie, Howl would like to talk to you," Markl began before pointedly glancing towards Justin, "Alone." The prince gave a hesitant look but parted from Sophie anyhow, stepping outside into Market Chipping. Markl followed, standing beside the door, staring up and down the street as if expecting someone to suddenly appear. "I hope he asks her"

Inside, Howl turned to look at Sophie, smiling only a little, and she could now definitely detect the sadness lurking inside his eyes—but he only deserved it. "Sophie, I… Do you really have to leave? Do you even want to?" By now the wizard was looking as pitiful as ever, fumbling with the box incessantly, the velvet soft against his fingers and the ring lurking just below the soft surface rousing anxiety in him. "Please, don't leave with him."

"Why shouldn't I? You're nothing but a vain wizard, Howl, and I don't want to be a part of that!" Sophie insisted, glaring at him and then turning towards the fire to see that Calcifer was gone and frowned—she was hoping he would get her out of this mess.

Then her eyes took in the rest of the house, and the filth that was beginning to layer over it all—it was reverting to its old nature. It reminded her of the day she first stepped into the grubby place.

"Then let me just ask you something important before I go," Howl spoke after a moment, feeling the sickness in his stomach rise in severity. He forced himself to focus on her face, forbidding his eyes from looking down at his feet—or anywhere else, for that matter. How could be so frightened by this? He was the great Wizard Howl! This was pathetic, honestly! "Sophie don't go back! You have a family here and-and…. And Sophie, will you marry me?" At once he dropped to one knee, procuring from his pocket the black velvet box, opening it to expose the far too expensive but far too beautiful engagement ring nestled inside, between pristine silken fabric.

"Howl!" Sophie exclaimed and for a hopeful moment, Howl had dreamed it was in the most pleasant surprise—he finally had her. "You think getting married will solve our differences? Why didn't you propose earlier? What makes it different now? No, I will not marry you, Howl." At once she marched out the door, giving a nasty look towards Markl which did nothing to mend the situation.

"Please think about it, Sophie, Howl is so sad without you," Markl pleaded but Sophie just cast a smile as she took the Prince's hand and walked away, abandoning the boy. "Damnation!" he cursed and ran back inside to find Howl still on one knee, hands by his side, head facing the ground with his raven hair covering his visage. "I'm sorry, Howl…"

Howl could feel himself breaking—his heart ached to the point of actual pain.

"Maybe it was just never meant to be, Markl." Howl sighed as he stood, throwing the ring to the floor and treading upstairs to his room—the door slammed shut after him.

Markl was quick to collect the ring and the box, replacing it between the silken folds of the fabric and hurrying upstairs to set it in his desk drawer.

Then an idea struck him: Lettie was Sophie's younger sister; maybe she could get through to her. Hastily, Markl ran out into the busy streets towards Cesari's, desperate to help his teacher.

* * *

"The nerve of that man!" Sophie growled as she rode in the carriage. "Proposing to me only when he was about to lose me, like before I didn't matter." Even though the prince wasn't answering, she felt better shouting this all to the carriage and him. How dare he? The _nerve_ of that inferior wizard!

The carriage trotted on and Prince Justin, in spite of Sophie's rage, could only smile, taking her hand and saying in a soothing, calming voice, "Does this mean you'll be with me now? Once I inherit the throne, you'll be a queen. Queen Sophie. King Justin." He grinned at the idea and gave a sweet smile, squeezing her hand gently and staring out the window. "You'll love the kingdom, I know you will. It's a beautiful place."

A few hours passed in quiet conversation before they finally arrived in Kingsbury. Sophie smiled as she stepped gracefully out of the carriage and onto the earth below her feet. The sky was a bright blue and clouds drifted lazily by, it was a perfect day—nothing felt wrong about it, not even the thought of Howl sobbing at home crossed her mind. It was only she, the prince, and their new life _together_.

They were escorted into the extravagant castle—as beautiful inside as it was outside. Although Sophie had been here before, the palace seemed to have a different light shed upon it now. There were blue and white tapestries hanging from the ceiling, matching rugs on the floor. Three large doors branching off from the main entrance as well. All in all the whole of the place was breath-taking and lavishly decorated. "You're right, Justin, I think I will love it here." Sophie beamed and followed him to wherever was heading—she didn't particularly care. "I _do_ love it here."

* * *

**The fourth chapter! To clear up any confusion and to answer H.R. Wolf's long-ago question: Markl is fifteen in this story as he was in Ms. Jones' book. I'm trying my best to incorporate both versions because I believe the book needs a bit of limelight too—it was a fantastic book. Anyways, in the book, Markl was dating Lettie Hatter (although she's actually Martha—more on that to come later) so hence their relationship in this story. Thank you all for reviews and keep up with the love! **


	5. In Which Sophie Is Upset

**A Prince, a Wizard, and a Girl**

**Chapter Five: In Which Sophie Is Upset**

Markl weaved his way through Market Chipping towards Cesari's, determination in every step and brows furrowed for emphasis that he was on a mission. Today the overbearing crowd of over-aged men would halt his progress no longer.

Howl, on the other hand, had cast out all thoughts of Markl, the ring and the wedding, and even Sophie herself. Instead, he lay on his bed, glaring at the ceiling, and grumbling with total repulsion about that horrid Prince Justin, taking Sophie away from him like that (okay, he _still_ thought about Sophie).

It was a vicious cycle, really—for every time he groaned at Justin he pined over Sophie just as soon after and he was depressed all over again—yet irate and wounded as ever. How dare she think that his proposal was a ploy to get her back? Admittedly, it was an original key point of his plan but it hadn't always been that way. How dare she wrongly accuse him of not wanting to marry her until someone else did? He had carted that box for months on end—he was infamous Howl and he couldn't even propose to a woman. Howl was ashamed, he'd doubted himself and now she was with the prince—far away as ever.

There was a sad smile forming on the wizard's face, although it didn't last very long. A sharp knock on the door disrupted the moment and he hopelessly swept down the staircase and opened the door in such a sullen fashion that the woman at the door was caught off guard—nearly choked up on her own words at such a disheartened face.

"Wizard Howl I—"

"Want a spell," Howl finished for her, emotion leeched from his speech as he turned to his table and then cast a glance at her, waiting.

"Oh, well, you see, my husband's been sick and we need money so—" as she spoke Howl was busy adding this and that together before he handed her a small package and slammed the door in her face mid-sentence. As soon as he crumpled into the oversized armchair by the hearth, he found himself incapable of ever leaving it.

By this time Markl was shoving himself through the crowd of buoyant men towards the counter where Lettie had spotted him and grinned widely, exclaiming, "Markl!" She dropped her cloth in her hand and ran around the counter to hug him, to every man's great displeasure. "What are you here for?" She guided him to the backroom where they could properly be alone. "Did Sophie cook up all that bread already?"

"No, Lettie… But this trip does have to do with Sophie." Markl sat down beside the beautiful girl and explained everything in such a mournful tone Lettie herself nearly burst into tears as she watched Markl miserably regard the floorboards and the occasional look towards her.

"He really does love her, Lettie," concluded Markl some minutes later. "But what can we do? She's already in Kingsbury by now!"

"Don't worry, we'll think of something," Lettie assured him, placing her hands over his with a gentle smile. Even if she really didn't like Howl too much—he was far too arrogant and cavalier—Markl looked up to him for guidance and it pained her so to see Markl in such a state of distress. And besides that, she had seen what wonders the wizard had done to make Sophie so undeniably blissful—Prince Justin couldn't possibly compare. So she had no choice but to do whatever she could to make things right again.

Miles away Sophie sat, dining in an elegant dining hall beside Prince Justin, who was beaming proudly and discussing matters with his father. He ate in minute bites from his fork; Sophie took notice that everyone was doing this but her. But she smiled as wide as ever anyhow, trying her best to make a good impression.

"I'll just have to get used to it is all," she thought to herself, sipping at the wine and clasping the Prince's hand, the soft cream tablecloth beneath their fingers.

The King and Queen showed their unanimous approval of their son's new love interest by their expressions and lax body language that barred no difference between them and the poor couples back home.

The thought of home struck her hard—home. Home didn't _have_ to mean Howl. Home could mean anything, yet all that came to her wits were the memories of the house in Market Chipping with Markl, Calcifer, and the dazzling Wizard Howl.

Directly after dinner, Sophie politely excused herself and was shown to the bedroom both she and Prince Justin were to share. She fell upon the lush comforter and sighed. It was a heavy, regretful sigh. Even amidst this beautiful palace, she was beginning to second-guess herself. Yet how could Howl top any of this? Howl himself was a beautiful creature, yes, but could he _give_ her beauty and luxury?

Perhaps if he _tried_.

Sophie spent the remaining amount of her time alone contemplating until the Prince arrived and smiled warmly at her as she sat up. "Is something wrong?" His smile faltered as he scanned her face, analyzing it for anything out of the ordinary, indeed he did conclude she must be bothered by _something_.

"Howl," grumbled Sophie dismally as she lay back down, feeling numb and alone for the first time in months.

Everything had been okay up until this point—possibly even _perfect_.

_Oh what have you done, Sophie Hatter? What have you done?_

* * *

**Well it's the fifth chapter! It's been a while and I hope you've all enjoyed it up until now! Expect an update pretty soon, I promise it'll be happening! Just keep on reviewing and thanks to everyone who has and even more thanks to anyone and everyone who added this to their favorites and whatnot. **


	6. In Which Sophie Sobs

A Prince, a Wizard, and a Girl

**A Prince, a Wizard, and a Girl**

**Chapter Six: In Which Sophie Sobs **

Twelve hours of sleep and three comings and goings of Calcifer later and Howl had finally roused himself from the armchair, groggily rubbing at his sore eye sockets. He smiled weakly at the sight of the fire demon in his hearth. "It's been a while, friend," Howl said quietly, voice still raspy from sleep.

"I've been here a long time now, Howl. It's _you_ that's taken forever," Calcifer loyally pointed out, cocking his head towards the clock that did indeed indicate that Howl had slept through half the day.

"Oh…" Howl frowned at the clock, as if willing it to go backwards—back to when Sophie was still standing in his house. What could he have told her? What could he have said to will her to change her mind? Howl feared that maybe nothing would.

"Hot water, please!" Howl's disconsolate voice carried itself downstairs to Calcifer's hearth, who grumbled over the inconvenience of being a free slave as he started Howl's bath water for him.

Howl almost became as attached to his bathtub as he had been to his armchair but the sound of the door swinging wide open from downstairs and Markl's unpredictably animated voice really had caught him off guard. Swinging himself out the bathtub and shrugging on some clothes, he descended to the bottom floor, curiously regarding his pupil.

"Howl! Lettie said she'd help us get Sophie back, isn't that good news?" Markl and Calcifer were determined to stay optimistic in just the same way that Howl was determined to remain beneath his boisterous storm cloud of pessimism and general sorrow. All the wizard could manage was a weak, painful smile in the direction of his student. "We're going to get her back, I promise."

"What if she marries Prince Justin first?" Howl was always the one to rain on parades.

"Well—It's a wedding for a prince, that'll take too long to plan out anyways," Calcifer countered, reaching for a log and placing it around himself in the fireplace.

"Howl," Markl said, suddenly so stern as if they had substituted roles with one another. "You can't be moping around forever—that's never going to get Sophie back." His arms rested on his hips, a severe scowl painted over his features.

The Great Wizard Howl nodded in resignation and crossed the room to the door, turning the dial and stepping into the flower fields he and Sophie had visited so many times before.

Bending down to cradle a flower in his hands, Howl understood what he had to do and Markl was right—it didn't involve sobbing.

He needed a plan of action—a sure fire way to regain Sophie—and he'd need all the help he could get.

* * *

Sophie had unproductively taken to exploring the palace while Prince Justin was off performing his princely duties—and she was thinking of none other than Howl all the while. "Even Calcifer said he hated being pinned down to anything—He doesn't want me, he's being foolish and fickle like he always is with girls." Sophie took glass mosaic eggs in her hand, turning them over in her palm before setting them in their proper stools once more.

"He's such a bother! All I ever did was clean for him and do him silly favors like talk to witches and pretend to be his mother." The library itself was a fascinating collection of books Sophie was certain had never been read before—a thick and very visible layer of dust coated each and every leather-bound volume. "Looks like I'd be cleaning here too."

That is, if queens were allowed to clean.

"But, he wasn't always so bad," Sophie admitted, eyes peering out one of the very most top windows, the people below resembled ants rather than humans. "He was rather sweet when he wanted to be. He did after all buy me clothes and give me a whole flower field—and that ring _was_ beautiful…"

It's always funny to discover that just when your mind's made up, you begin to grasp that it never was at all.

And here Sophie was, back at square one in an odd palace she felt not at all in place in and caught between two men—one she loved dearly and the other she was _supposed_ to love dearly.

And had it not been for the white-gloved guard standing properly upright every few feet—casting very weary glances in her direction—she might've let the tears welling up in her eyes escape, yet she knew that wouldn't be a suitable thing to do.

Instead she reminisced incessantly on her memories in the castle—from Calcifer's silly saucepan song that sounded more like gibberish with the word "saucepan" thrown in than an actual song to the way rosy vapors always wafted from the bathroom whenever Howl stepped out of it.

She could almost hear their voices—Calcifer's always so outspoken and opinionated, Markl's so innocent and emotional, and Howl's so incredibly _attractive_ and soothing to the ears.

And now the marriage to Justin seemed as foolish as sewing with a plastic, dull needle and expecting supreme results.

Sophie Hatter returned to her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed and only then did she finally sob.

* * *

**Well, yes, it IS an update! Believe, all of you, believe it! (Not to sound like that one very cheesy English-dub anime…) I hope you all enjoyed it! Please tell me what you think, any input is appreciated—what you want to happen or what you don't want to happen or what you liked or didn't, etc. **

**Thanks so much for all the other reviews and thanks for reading! **


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